The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-03
THE INDIANA OCCASIONAL.
Preached Thursday evening, August 25, at
Logansport, by Rev. T. s. Guthrie, Of Mum
Gle

freacned thursday evening, august 20, az
Logansport, by Rev. T. s. Guthrie, of Mum
Gle.
Every plant which my heavenly Father
hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Matt.
XIV. 1871
Univerealism we believe to be plant of
Gods own planting. 1t is plant of, and for,
the coming ages; and although divine, as we
think, nevertheless it is of exceedingly slow
growth.
This lethargic condition may be accounted
for, In part, where we consider the atmosphere
that has always surrounded it. The promise
given to Abraham was unusual and uncondi-
tional; and yet, surrounded by idolatry as he
must have been, it scarcely gave a ray of light
except to the ancient patriarch himself. The
doctrine of a Worlds Salvation was taught
"by all the holy prophets since the world be-
gan" and repeated and emphasized by Christ
and his apostles. Still in the latter times, Ju-
daism, Romanism, and the literature of the
Greeks was brought SO directly to bear against
the doctrine of Christ that it required numer-
GUS miracles to establish its first principles.
This was exemplified in the fact that in the
after days, if Jew, Roman or Greek did
acknowledge that Jesus was the Christ; that
no one could do the works that he did, unless
God was with him, yet they would bring into
this infant church enough error to retard
the growth of the heavenly plant.
This fact is further and more fully seen by
the conversion of Constantine to the Christian
religion. In his day and the age of the school,
men which followed, speculations in reference
to Christology, soteriology, eschatology, the
sacraments and purgatorial fires that you might
almost as well expect ray of light to illume
a world as that Universalism should lift its
head let alone to flourish, prosper and grow.
And yet, Notwithstanding all this darkness,
we occasionally had burning and shining
light to illume the darkened, ecclesiastic heav-
ems. And yet again, even since the days of
the Reformation and more particularly since
Universalism has existed as an organization,
every church in Christendom has brought its
batteries to bear against us; but thanks unto
the King Eternal that our fathers fought our
battles valiantly, and victory has perched
upon our banner upon many well-fought
field; and now, as well as in the past, our war
riors are everywhere feared
But let our people who think that our growth
is not as rapid as it ought to be, that the old
ship Zion, does not move on as successfully
as it should take courage by analogy and his
tory. 1t is, no doubt, true that the solidest
rocks are the longest in their form atoms; that
a tree containing the strongest fibers is the
slowest in its growth. The earth too, coming
forth from nebua, through all the creative
periods or days mentioned by Moses and sane
toned by the best scientists, was an inconceiv-
able number of ages in it's formation; and yet
the lapse of time did not prevent it from be
coming the transient home of man who was
formed in Gods own image. So by analogy
we argue that if Universalism be plant divine
it shall not be rooted, but shall stand the test
of ages.
History, too, gives its sanction to the fact
that reforms never go backward; they may
slumber; they may sleep. The slumber1ng
volcano will surely burst forth. The Refor
nation, for which Martin Luther is credited
was comm ell ced by Wicklitfe, TO which, also,
Huss and Jerome of Prague gave their voices
and lives. Universalism is reform. 1t is the
highest round in the Christian ladder. 1t
teaches advanced views of Gods nature ana
character. advanced views in reference to
the nature and needs of man. aud advanced
views of the destiny of the race. The lights
of other denominations catch some of the
CLEANS from our galaxy and proclaim with US,
that in the final end no night will be there.
The mented Beecher, and Canon Farrar
and Dr. Thomas. though not ANNIVERSARIES, have
caught some of the glory connected with our
faith and become enrapt thereby, and utter
sentences of approval that may yet give an
impetus to our cause.
Other denominations apprehend that we are
standing still, but such is not the case. Still
we do not claim a rapid growth to show thal
we are at least slightly aggressive We cal
attention to the following facts: One hum
bred years ago in America we bad one minis
ter and one church; fifty years ago we had
125 ministers and two hundred churches, now
we have 800 ministers and 1000 churches, with
an actual members hip of 10000. Besides we
have live Sunday-school interest com mem
surate with our church, tnat is producing
yearly accessions to the church of the living
God. Our seminaries, colleges and Theoiogi-
cal schools all speak wei for our prospective
growth to say the least.
Some years ago DR.. Miner summed up our
prospect We when he said 1--WE are strength
ened in our parish organizations; they have
been knit together. We have twenty-ihree or
tweoty-four STATE Conventions. We bave a
union of them in one General Convention.
The truth, which speaks favorable for us, is that
we are organized as a church on substantially
the same basis as the political organization of
our country, viz. local churches with local
constituencies delegated from the local church
es. a general convention with delegates from
the State convention, corresponding with mu-
nicipal, State and United States Government.
Thus our church in its very constitution.
takes on an American face and still more it
breathes the American spirit"
And as our flag the proudest emblem of
majestic liberty, commands respect in every
civilized nation, in every harbor and upon all
seas and oceans SO we trust and believe thatthe
doctrine of the Fatherhood of God, the brother
hood of man, the triumph of right and the final
destruction of all sin and wrong shall, ere
long, command attention and respect
God has made all men free and equal before
the law, before himself in the presence of the
King Eternal. 10 the presence of the infinite
and inexhaustible love of God. Universalism
is American in it's essential spirit, in its
breadth and fullness of hope. 1t is Amer
lean in that it opens its doors to all the chill
dren of God, as our country opens its doors
to the oppressed of all lands. We believe not.
it is true, in the doctrine of the trinity. vicari
Gus atonement, substitutional righteousness,
total depravity, election or reprobation, close
communion or apostolic succession nor that
any of these have any moral force in them,
nor all combined, for the world was never
worse than when they bore universal sway.
The idea that we are on the decline, or even
standing still, grow not out of the facts. The
plant that our Heavenly Father planteth He
watereth, and it shall not be rooted up. Pa
panfgm pharaseeism partialism, per &c, all